The Walk

Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I claim any of the characters from Harry Potter. They are property of J.K.Rowling. No profit is being made from this story, it is strictly for fans to read, and hopefully, enjoy.

A/N: So, I've been wanting to write an HP fic for a while now and I've finally gotten to doing it. I expect a chapter every two weeks, unless I get a ton of free time. Since classes will be starting up in a week, I doubt that, but you never know. Harry has just turned 18 a few weeks before this fanfic starts. Mind you this is a POST-Voldemort fanfic. Things will be explained along the way as to what happened during the war, etc. It is key to the plot, but not important in the first chapter. OoTP and HBP will be kept in the storyline. Which means that all that stuff happened!~ This is a WIP. I have no idea how long it will be. We shall see where this story takes us. Reviews and -constructive- criticism are very welcome. I will try and answer any questions (that won't ruin future plot points) at the beginning or end of each chapter (I haven't decided). Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it!~

The Walk - Chapter 1
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Dear Mr. Harry J. Potter, August the 15th

We, the Ministry of Magic, would like to congratulate you on your acceptance into our Elite Auror Training Academy. After reviewing your application and all of your qualifications, it has come to our attention that you are far above average in the area of magical defense; therefore, we are placing you into a higher level training course. Should you feel that you are not able to meet the standards of the rigorous works involved with the EATA, please contact our representative, Mr. M. J. Markwell, and he will discuss your options.
The orientation will be held on Monday, August 19th. Please send a return owl if you will not be able to attend the orientation or EATA. If we receive no letter by midnight tonight, we will contact you in a few days with the location of the orientation.


Congratulations,
Ministry of Magic
Department of Magical Defense
and Auror Training
P.S. If you have any questions regarding your upcoming training, please contact Mr. M. E. Markwell and he will be glad to assist you in anyway possible.

Harry read the letter and then re-read it. The parchment was crinkled from him handling it so much. He hadn’t re-read it because he couldn’t believe he had been accepted into auror training. He had read the letter repeatedly because they had wanted to put him into a higher level training academy. He didn’t even know there was a higher level training academy for potential aurors. Of course, it did make sense. So many people had been forced to fight in the last war against Voldemort that many were far more advanced in certain areas than others. He smiled, the Ministry of Magic was finally turning itself around and actually doing something. He supposed it was all thanks to the new Minister of Magic, a Mr. Arthur Weasley. Mr. Weasley had done so much during the war and afterwards the entire wizarding community had unanimously voted on him taking over the position as Minister of Magic. So far, he had done a fine job, not that Harry had thought he wouldn’t. He knew Mr. Weasley was a good man, albeit a little strange when it came to Muggles, but a very good man with a good grasp of morals and on what needs to be done to fix all the wrongs that the previous ministers had done. Harry was proud to call him Minister of Magic.

He looked back at his letter and then smirked, Ron probably knew before him about his acceptance. He stood up and walked over to his desk where he pulled out a piece of parchment and quickly wrote a short letter out to his best friend:

Dear Ron,
I knew you were hiding something from me yesterday. Don’t worry, I’ll get you back for that one. I’ll see you at the EATA orientation. Say ‘Hi’ to Hermione for me.
-Harry

He rolled up the parchment and called Hedwig over, “Can you take this to Ron for me, Hedwig? Thank you.”

He unlatched the window and watched as Hedwig took off in the fading daylight toward the burrow. Closing the window, he sat back in his desk chair and brushed his hair out of his eyes. Maybe he should get it cut. It was a little longer than normal. Perhaps if he got it cut it would be more submissive. He almost snorted at the thought. He highly doubted anything short of shaving his head bald would tame his unruly hair. He let out a sigh and then pushed himself out of his seat and headed downstairs to the kitchen of his home, Grimmauld Place.

The last of the Black estates after the war and it was owned by Harry Potter. No member of the Black family would ever live in this house again. Harry shook his head to clear it of such depressing thoughts. It had been nearly four years since Sirius had fallen through the veil in the Ministry of Magic. Nearly four years since Harry had heard his godfather laugh that bark-like laugh and wink at him with those mischievous eyes. Harry missed him dearly.

Sirius had left him Grimmauld Place in his will and at first Harry had been distraught and distant from the old house. It reminded him too much of Sirius, but as the years went by, Harry came to love the old house for the same reason. He didn’t want to forget Sirius and, to Harry, it felt as though the old house was all he had left of Sirius, which was why after his last year at Hogwarts, Harry had moved into the large home.

He came down the stairs and passed by the painting of Sirius’ mother. They had both come to an agreement. Well, it was more like Harry had threatened her into agreeing with him. Harry would keep her hanging there (instead of having the wall removed) if she would keep quiet unless it was something absolutely dire that Harry must know or it was to strike up a polite conversation. She had started to curse the very air he breathed when he pulled out his wand and began reciting the spell that would cut through a solid wall like a knife through butter. She had gone tight lipped instantly and had been rather silent since. It had been a little more than a year since that day and Harry was enjoying the peace and quiet.

Walking through the living area to the kitchen door, Harry paused and looked back. The room was clean, but very empty. He could almost see a younger version of himself sitting on the small chair in the corner playing wizard’s chest with a young Ron while Hermione was curled up on the sofa reading a book. He smiled and shook his head, he really needed to stop reminiscing about the past. Besides, he was hungry and all this nostalgia was making it hard for him to get to the kitchen. He pushed open the door and went to the refrigerator and pulled out some deli meat and other fixings for a quick sandwich.

After fixing himself an early dinner, he grabbed up the Evening Prophet and took it over to the table and sat down to eat. His eyes skimmed the front page as he took a bite of his sandwich. He stopped as the large block print caught his eye:

New Campus for the Elite Auror Training Academy, EATA, to open this weekend.

Harry quickly scanned the paper for information on this new campus, and it said absolutely nothing in a lot of words. The only thing he could figure out about the place was that it was somewhere in London. Well, London wasn’t that large to Muggles, but to the wizarding world, it could be incredibly large. The campus could be just about anywhere: a bus on an unknown corner, an old telephone booth, or perhaps even an abandoned building.

Frowning, he finished his sandwich and then went out to the living area. He flopped down on the couch and let out a sigh. He was incredibly bored. He looked at the coffee table in front of him and rolled his eyes. Oliver Wood was flying around on the cover of Quidditch World News Magazine with a triumphant smirk on his face. Some people never changed Harry thought with a smile.

He had spoken to Oliver only once since his graduation from Hogwarts. Oliver had come as a representative of the Chudley Canons to try and recruit Harry as their new seeker. Harry, still trying to get out of the spotlight from the war and wanting nothing more than to relax, had politely refused. And then he had politely refuse the Appleby Arrows at the beginning of the month.

Ron had been a little upset that his best friend had turned down an offer from his favorite team, but he understood why Harry had refused. Harry didn’t want to live life in the public’s eye anymore. All he wanted was to be normal. Of course, some people felt that the position of an auror was a little abnormal in the wizarding community, especially since these were now peaceful times, but Harry just equated Aurors with Muggle policemen. Not to mention, he doubted the world would remain at peace. Nothing stayed the same and there would always be someone out there willing to do anything to get what they wanted. Harry had met quite a few of that sort and he knew that just because their role model was gone that they would not just stop what they were doing.

Harry yawned and looked over at the clock. It was 4 o’clock now. Yawning again, he decided that perhaps a nap was in order. He thought about moving upstairs to his bedroom, but he was incredibly comfortable on his sofa, so he pushed that thought out of his mind and sunk deeper into the cushions. With a last yawn, he removed his glasses and fell into a light sleep.

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About three hours later, Harry was roused from his nap by a tapping at his window. He rubbed his eyes, squinted and then put his glasses on. Looking at the window, he saw Hedwig, her white feathers shining in the moonlight. He opened the window and held out his arm for her to perch on. Stroking her soft feathers he walked over to the sofa and let her hop onto the back of it. He untied the note from her leg and then let her fly back up to her cage to rest.

Dear Harry,

Ron thought it would be better if you found out on your own (you do know that he actually found it hilarious that he had you so curious yesterday). I’m sending you this because he is currently laughing at how confused you were when he was over and couldn’t stop cracking up. You probably thought he’d lost a nut. I think you may be rig-

Hey mate! Pretty awesome isn’t it? Dad says the campus is amazing. He supervised its construction and everything. He says he thinks it’ll help boost the number of applicants to Auror training. Since the war, not many people are very interested in doing the dirty work anymore. He said he’d let me see the list of attendees tomorrow when he gets back from some meeting in Ireland. I’ll send you a copy after I get-

Harry, Ron will not be sending you that kind of information. It is confidential. That would be like posting everyone’s OWL results in the Daily Prop-

Talk to you later, mate! By the way, Hermione says ‘Hi’.

-Ron
and -Hermione

Harry couldn’t help but laugh. Those two were absolutely made for each other. He shook his head as he folded up the letter and set it on the table. How long had it been since those two had finally realized they liked each other? He thought about it for a while and realized that they had officially gotten together right after the war. ‘Hn,’ he thought, ‘maybe they were trying to focus on the matters at hand. Like Ginny and I.’

Ginny. He hadn’t seen Ginny for about six months now, well he saw her at Ron’s graduation but she had done her best to not speak to him. Every time he dropped by the burrow, she was conveniently not at home. He missed her. ‘But it is better this way,’ he thought glumly.

After the war with Voldemort, Ginny and Harry had gotten together like he had promised. Things were wonderful for about two months and then Harry had come to a horrible realization while he was out with her one day: he didn’t love her. Well, he loved her, but not like a couple should love each other. He loved her like a little sister. He had been in a horrible state after this realization and he didn’t know how to deal with it. Hermione, being the most observant of the trio, had quickly figured out what was wrong with him and had told him to just be honest with her. It wasn’t fair for him to drag Ginny around and pretend to be in love with her.

He had agreed with Hermione and had told Ginny the next day. Ginny had been upset, but had nodded and told him she had kind of felt the gap growing between them. Harry felt horrible for a long time after that and Ginny was never around whenever he went over to see Ron. Ron had said that she just needed time; it had been six months now. How much time could one person really need? Harry frowned, he couldn’t think like that. It was his fault that Ginny had been hurt. Before the war, when they had briefly dated, Harry had been so alone and exhausted from dealing with Voldemort and had been unconsciously looking for comfort. Ginny had been there to offer it and Harry had accepted. After the war however, Harry had finally been able to realize his true feelings toward Ginny and therefore, he could not be with her.

‘Ginny will come around, Harry. She doesn’t hate you. She just needs time to adjust to being around you as a friend and not as…your girlfriend,’ Hermione had said.

‘It really has been six months,’ he thought. He would see Ron on Monday, maybe Ginny would come with everyone to see the campus. Maybe he could finally talk to Ginny and find out how she was doing. He did miss their conversations. Ginny was incredibly bright and very funny and Harry always loved to hear her stories. He stood and headed upstairs toward the bathroom to take a shower. He had a couple of days to figure out what he would say to her in order to make her feel comfortable around him. It was time to try and make things better between the two of them.

Feeling a little better after deciding on his course of action with Ginny, Harry gathered his things up and headed for his shower. For once, things were actually turning out to be pretty good in Harry Potter’s life.

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Dear Mr. Draco L. Malfoy, August the 15th

We, the Ministry of Magic, would like to congratulate you on your acceptance into our Elite Auror Training Academy. After reviewing your application and all of your qualifications, it has come to our attention that you are far above average in the area of potions and magical defense; therefore, we are placing you into a higher level training course. Should you feel that you are not able to meet the standards of the rigorous works involved with the EATA, please contact our representative, Mr. M. J. Markwell, and he will discuss your options.
The orientation will be held on Monday, August 19th. Please send a return owl if you will not be able to attend the orientation or EATA. If we receive no letter by midnight tonight, we will contact you in a few days with the location of the orientation.

Congratulations,
Ministry of Magic
Department of Magical Defense
and Auror Training

P.S. If you have any questions regarding your upcoming training, please contact Mr. M. E. Markwell and he will be glad to assist you in anyway possible.

Draco neatly folded up the parchment and set it down on his desk. He looked over at his large brown Eagle owl, Altair. The bird stared at him with large golden eyes. Draco stood up and walked over to the cage. He leaned in and unlatched the door, allowing Altair to fly out of his cage and land on Draco’s shoulder. Surprisingly, the birds grip was incredibly light as though he knew his large talons would slice through human flesh. Draco stroked the birds feathers lightly and began pacing his room.

He didn’t want to even attend Auror training. Narcissa Malfoy, his mother, and Severus Snape, a close family friend had tricked him into filling out the form by saying it was a survey from Hogwarts about their former students activities after graduation. His mother had snatched it away from him as soon as he had finished and had owled it to the Ministry right in front of him. Snape had found it rather amusing to see Draco jump out of his chair so suddenly as he tried to stop the owl from taking off.

“Draco, did you honestly think she had you fill out a form to Hogwarts? Or possibly so she could look at your handwriting?” Snape had remarked sarcastically.

Draco had closed his mouth immediately and then stood up straight, clenching his jaw, and looking alarmingly like his late father, had calmly strode from the room. He had refused to speak to Snape and his mother for a week and by then he had convinced himself that no ministry official was going to approve an application for Auror Training from the son of a Death Eater. Especially not the son of the Death Eater who had been Voldemort’s right hand man.

He paused in his pacing as he remembered the joyous look on his mother’s face when he had finally spoken to her. She had been incredibly upset that he had held a grudge for so long.

“Mother, you tricked me into sending off an application to Auror Training,” Draco had said in a bored tone.

“Draco, darling, why else would I have had you do the form? You know very well that Hogwarts has never sent out a survey to former students,” Narcissa had replied as she brushed her platinum blonde hair from her gray eyes. She couldn’t believe her own son could be that dense.

“I figured you just had me do it so I would stop pacing around the manor. I didn’t honestly think you would send it to Hogwarts. Besides, you’ve been trying to get me to do something with myself for a few months now,” Draco had muttered.

Narcissa had actually laughed at that. Draco allowed a small smile to grace his lips as he remembered the sound of her laugh. She had a contagious laugh that sounded like a song. It had been a long time since she had laughed. Draco frowned, he couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed. It had to have been when he was a small child.

He stopped pacing and looked up at Altair then nodded toward his cage. Altair let out a small hoot and then flapped to the cage and settled back in until his dinner time. Draco picked up the folded parchment and stepped out into the hallway of Malfoy Manor. He paused at the top of the stairs when he heard his mother’s voice, “I’m just worried about him. He hasn’t been eating much since…well…you know. I know he is an adult and he can handle himself, but he is going to end up killing himself at this rate. There has to be something we can do for him, Severus.”

The familiar voice of his old potion’s master came floating up the stairs, “Narcissa, Draco has been through quite a lot. He had to make incredibly difficult decisions at a young age,” there was a pause and Draco could just imagine the frustrated look on Snape’s face, “He needs to figure this out on his own. It may take him a while to come to terms with everything, but he will succeed. He is strong.”

Draco refrained from rolling his eyes, this had to be the fourth time he had heard this conversation between his mother and Snape. Straightening himself and placing his mask of indifference on his face, he calmly descended the steps and entered the sitting area, “ I have received a letter from the Ministry of Magic regarding the application you sent in, Mother.”

Narcissa looked up quickly, something akin to hope shining in her eyes, “And what does it say, darling?”

“I have been accepted into the newly created EATA, Elite Auror Training Academy. The orientation is on Monday. They will be sending information on the location later this weekend,” Draco replied.

Snape stood and walked over to Draco, holding out his hand. Draco handed him the letter and watched as Snape read it twice, “I’m guessing you didn’t think they would accept me, either.”

Snape frowned, “No. I was just making sure that this letter was in fact, from the Ministry and not from anyone who would wish you harm. Even though you have proved your intentions more than once, you still have enemies because of your…”

“Father,” Draco added.

Snape cleared his throat, “Yes.”

Narcissa stood and wrapped her arm around Draco’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze, “Darling, are you going to do this? Have you made your decision?”

Draco looked at his old potion’s master and then to his mother, “Yes, I have Mother. I am going to do this.”